Monday 21 January RCTS
Chester AGM, followed by "A Photographic Tribute to
Edgar Richards"( Non-members are invited to attend
from 20.00 hours)February
2019

Friday 1 February Clwyd
Railway Circle “The Glorious Steam Railways of India”
The images were taken when it was a fully steam worked
system, with a variety of steam across four different
gauges. John Sloane

Friday 5 April Clwyd
Railway Circle "Scotland in the 1960s" The talk
covers the whole of Scotland - going up the west side to
Wick and Thurso and returning down the east side from/to
Carlisle.
John Cashen

A Class 221 Super Voyager between Abergele & Pensarn and
Rhyl on the 1A43 Holyhead to Euston on a dull and rainy 5
December. Picture by Alan Martin.

RHTT's last run

Saturday 8 December saw the last run of the Rail Head
Treatment train for this season, with the usual power 56
087 and56 094 and piloted by 50 050Fearless
(formerly D400), owned by Boden Rail Engineering. Bob
Greenhalgh photographed the ensemble westbound past
Beeches Farm.

Near Prestatyn (taken from a legal position) (Dave
Sallery).

Rhyl (Roly High).

56 094 on the rear wearing the usual RHTT livery of gunge
overlaying its Colas orange. Only the rear loco gets gunged,
but with top-and-tail working both get equal treatment.

Bangor (Rowan Crawshaw). D400 became 50 050 when the
class number-based system was adopted, as it as thought that
50 000 could not be used. Some other classes fixed this by
re-using the number of a withdrawn loco, but all 50 class
50s were still around at the time.

The 50 was run round the train at Holyhead to lead on the
return, so its rail blue livery remained unsullied, as seen
at Bangor (Rowan Crawshaw).

Llandudno Junction, with station refurbishment in evidence (Gwion
Clark). Eighteen Class 50s survive in preservation,
including several registered for main line use.

Class 37 nostalgia - with Graham Breakwell

37 428 was one of the batch of class 37 rebuilds allocated
to Cardiff depot for passenger services, but on 7 June 1986,
having emerged in this form from Crewe works earlier that
year, it is passing Baschurch crossing north of Shrewsbury
with an an engineers' train, judging from the 'Mermaid'
ballast tipping wagon behind the loco.

Later that day, 37 428 stabled at Shrewsbury with 37 426
(named Y Lein Fach/Vale of Rheidol on 5 May 1986)
and 20 135.

Also given a Welsh name (on 11 May 1986) was 37 430Cwmbrân, seem at Aberystwyth on 21 June 1986 with
train 1A50, the 11:10 to London Euston which it would work
as far as Shrewsbury.

Fourteen feet above sea level. The wording of the small
plaque eludes us, but it relates to the opening of the new
station serving Cwmbrân new town on 12 May 1986.

37 428 had to wait until 1997 for a name. On 15 August
Graham was at Baschurch to capture the loco heading south,
with an other 37 waiting for the signal to continue north
with HEA domestic coal hoppers, perhaps for the coal depot
then still in operation at Gobowen.

On departure, the black material covering the new nameplate
could be discerned, as the loco was on the way to Pwllheli
for a the unveiling the next day of the name David Lloyd
George by Lady Olwen Carey-Evans, daughter of the
famous statesman. See our 28 August 2017
issue for more about this.

The newly-named loco then worked the 07:40 Pwllheli to
London Euston 'Snowdonian' service on its first run of the
summer. Graham photographed the train at Machynlleth
(above) ...

... and departing from Welshpool. The name had
previously been carried by 47 409. 37 428 had further
adventures, including a period in 'Royal Scotsman' maroon
livery, North Wales Coast work, the Rhymney line, the
Fort William sleeper, and transfer to the freight sector,
before being put in store in 2003 and final withdrawal in
2009 and scrapping in 2013.

Interesting up-to-date 37/4 news is that 37 418 (a regular
on North wales passenger trains in the 1990s) has emerged
from overhaul at Barrow Hill, resplendent in 'large logo'
livery complete with 'Highland Stag' and will be working for
Colas on Network Rail trains.

Cambrian 97

97 304 enters Barmouth as the 08:12 from Coleham on 4
December to pick up a 'Stoneblower' (Ken Robinson).

97 304 has run round the loop and returned to the up
platform, whilst the Network Rail Stoneblower (no. DR80211)
moves under its own power from the headshunt to the siding (Ken
Robinson).

The ensemble is almost ready to return as the 12:03 to
Coleham it didn't leave until 12:14 (Ken Robinson).